Nuclear amusement park

The amusement park 'Wunderland Kalkar' (Wonderland Kalkar) was once a nuclear fast breeder, which was completed but never taken online.

20 Jun 2011. Kalkar, Germany. Reuters/Ina Fassbender

In 1995 Dutch investor Hennie van der Most bought it and transformed into an amusement park.

20 Jun 2011. Kalkar, Germany. Reuters/Ina Fassbender

It now attracts some 600,000 visitors per year.

20 Jun 2011. Kalkar, Germany. Reuters/Ina Fassbender

Props and bits of scenery are stored in the former machine hall of the nuclear power station.

Nuclear power plans and capacity around Europe

There are now over 440 commercial nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries, with 377,000 MWe of total capacity. They provide about 14 percent of the world's electricity.

Here are some details about nuclear plants being built or planned in Europe.

BRITAIN

Europe's leading utilities have bought land to build new nuclear power plants in England and Wales, with the first expected to be built by 2018.

As of January 2011 Britain had 19 nuclear power plants with a net capacity of 10,137 MWe (Megawatt electric)

CZECH REPUBLIC

Czech utility CEZ postponed a tender to add two more units at its Temelin nuclear power plant in 2010 due to uncertainty in power markets. The tender is now expected in 2013.

The Czech Republic has six plants with a net capacity of 3,722 MWe.

FINLAND

Finland's parliament voted to build two new nuclear reactors in July 2010. It is already building a fifth nuclear reactor, the 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3, which is expected to come online in 2013 after several delays.

Finland has four plants with a net capacity of 2,716 MWe.

FRANCE

France is nuilding a 1,600 MW reactor at Flamanville, which is expected to begin commercial operation in 2014, two years later than planned.

France has 58 nuclear plants with a net capacity of 63,130 MWe.

GERMANY

The government voted last year to extend the lives of Germany's 17 nuclear plants. But after the Japanese nuclear disaster, Germany reversed course, saying it would move out of nuclear power, keeping shut eight suspended reactors and closing the rest by 2022.

Of the 17 in total, another six will be taken offline by 2021, environment minister Norbert Roettgen said. As of January 2011, Germany's net capacity was 20,490 MWe.

ITALY

The only non-nuclear G8 industrialised nation. Italy decided in 1987 to shut its reactors following the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine. Italy's centre-right government won a confidence vote last Tuesday on a package of measures that included shelving plans to build new nuclear power plants.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, an advocate of nuclear power, decided to scrap the construction of new nuclear plants amid mounting public concern in the wake of Japan's disaster.

NETHERLANDS

Dutch utility Delta plans to build a nuclear plant with France's EDF that could be operational by 2019.

Netherlands has one nuclear plant with a net capacity of 487 MWe.

POLAND

The government wants one or two nuclear power plants of its own to be built, the first by 2022, to break its reliance on coal for energy. The project already has been delayed once from 2020.

RUSSIA

Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, is building 14 of the 62 reactors under construction worldwide and has been pursuing more such deals. It says the nuclear renaissance will continue despite the Japanese accident.

Russia has 32 nuclear plants with a net capacity of 22,693 MWe.

SLOVAKIA

Two 470-MW units are being built at Mochovce and expected to operate from 2012-2013 in a project led by Enel unit Slovenske Elektrarne.

Slovakia has four nuclear plants with a net capacity of 1,792 MWe.

SWEDEN

Sweden has 10 nuclear plants with a net capacity of 9,303 MWe and supplying around 50 percent of the country's electricity.